Mercur Miner | 1905-09-13 | Page 7 | Tattooed Women

Tattooed Women. Thcro are two sortB of tattooing Id usQ among tho women of tho Congo Ono Is common to all tho members ol the same tribe, and Indlcntcs tho or! gin nnd birthplace or tho subject. It li an Infnlllblo nnd perpetual certificate of birth and nationality. Tho othei sort of tattooing Is simply fantasy nm coquo . Hut among certain trlbe-i thoro Is a third kind. Tho women re cord upon their bodies tho epochs ot tholr existence A horizontal Una marks marrlago, obllquo linos tho birth of children, a vortical lino weaning, wean-ing, another line chango of residence, Thus tho autobiography of tho woman Is written upon hor porson, and regarded re-garded with prldo If It Is full of events.